Wednesday, May 20, 2009

We are at LID 36



Quite a day yesterday. We decided to have a couple date and left Katie with friends for the first time. We had a nice meal at Boston Pizza(Love pasta Tuesdays!)

Katie is just over 3 months old, she is growing well and continues to be a good sleeper(We are sooo blessed with that!)

I realized AFTER we had gone out that it was also the 19th of May, marking 3 years we have been logged in to China.

Recent rumors state that they should have done 6 days of matching this month to bring us to March 14 2006. It has been a crazy month due to the swine flu thing, lots of conflicting info on whether TA's(travel Arrangements) will be sent, if people are being told to change their plans etc, but hopefully that storm will pass and folks can go get their precious treasures after such a wait...

We are waiting to hear word about going down to South Carolina to our final court date to make everything official with Katie, we will also hang out there for a bit so we can take in some of the place, take pictures, tour Katie around so we have some pictures and memories with her in the place she was born. I am hoping it come in the Fall, only so that it isn't so hot, Cara hopes it is in the height of the heat,LOL!

One of the things still up in the air is whether we would bring Katie to China. Whatever we decide we may not be able to if we don't get paperwork(citizenship/passport etc done). We don't get a birth certificate for her until a month and a half AFTER the court date, then time to process citizenship, then a passport... we have no idea how much time that will take.

Presently Cara is struggling with how to reshape her business in light of having baby, wanting to potentially drop the company she is demonstrating for, but trying to figure out how it will all work. I am kicking off my magic show business more and getting a few shows already, which is nice, we will see where that goes.

Summer stuff is in the air as we don't know if SC will be put in there, as well my mom is dealing with cancer, so there are some surgeries etc ahead that we will head down to be a support etc. I am speaking only one week at camp this year(that is a radical change), and there are 2 weddings I am officiating and another we want to head to Calgary for...so it appears it will be a full summer(once the snow fall quits, we just got a huge spring dump of the stuff, gotta love Alberta!)

Monday, April 20, 2009

smiles


This is the first smile of hers(nongas) we have gotten caught on camera.She is growing good,gained 13 oz of weight the last 2 weeks, and a pound and a half in the 3 weeks before then.

She is sleeping 6.5-7.5 hours each night. We are delighted!

This last Sunday we had our baby dedication ceremony, which is more like a parent dedication ceremony, where we offered ourselves to God in the raising of Katie in Christian values, etc.We had lots of family up, so that was very nice.




She was wearing the dress Cara wore at her christening,a beautiful necklace from her great grandparents(on my side) and a lovely bracelet some friends gave her(who are currently adopting from Haiti, and are close to going to get their second daughter from there!). My mom gave her a bible and Cara's folks prayed a blessing over her.

Katie really locks onto her mom, staring lovingly into each others eyes, their bond is developing well.I am enjoying doing anything with her, bathe her, hold her, change her, feed her, it is all good!!!

We have been blessed beyond belief with shower gifts from friends, family, and folks we barely know. it is quite overwhelming trying to put it all in its right spot,but we are so grateful! We still are adjusting to having a baby in our world, but it is a fairly easy move, and we are both almost healthy again, which will be good to get all there(one sore throat from me to go).

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Life as 3


Man, I thought I would blog more than I have. We found Facebook was our main means of communicating while on the road, but definitely wanted to add some thoughts here.

Katie, is awesome. She sleep and eats well, good natured, she only fusses if something needs attention. We are learning the ropes on some of the special care required for black babies, such as Vaseline on the body to moisturize her skin or she gets dry really quick, and on her face she gets little pimples if she isn't moisturized enough. She has a few there now as we are still trying to figure that out the best. Their hair gets brittle if it isn't cared for so right now we are using baby oil on it to keep it curly and soft, apparently you can use pink oil when they get a bit older. She came to us with a slight sinus thing and with the trip, stress of getting to know her parents etc it got quite a bit stuffy the last little while. We hit the saline drops and snot sucker device hard and added a slight incline on the mattress and a humidifier plus some herbal remedies and today she is doing quite a bit better.

She is just about 6 weeks old. She was born Feb 13 2009.

I had bronchitis for a week or so before we got the call and hadn't gotten to a doctor yet, so it set in REALLLL good while we were in the States. Today marks day 8 on antibiotics and I think we are turning the bend. After weeks of coughing my ribs are sooo sore, it has made it hard to even hold her at times, and burping her has been impossible. She isn't an easy burp-er, something she will have to work on to be a true Burtis(LOL)! Along with the lung stuff I got an ear infection ,and since I am deaf in one ear already, resulted in me having about 10-15% hearing, NOT fun in a plane nor trying to hear your wife or newborn. As a result Cara has had to shoulder a lot more than we planned, and she has done awesome, I knew she would be a good mommy and she has proven me right :)!




Katie was in cradle care for the 20 odd days before we got her, an she was well cared, for. We have been diligent in working on attachment, not letting anyone else feed or comfort her, and we have only let others hold her when she is fully awake or fully asleep. It has been nice to be able to bless our family and friends with being able to do that. With Julia, from China, we won't be able to do that as the attachment work will need to be much more focused and intentional. She is seeking mom out with her eyes now and looking longingly into them, cuddling in, it is great. Due to my coughing etc I have not had as much holding time or feeding time with her, so we still have a ways to go.

We have been blessed by friends who have cleaned up the house for us, brought us hot suppers, been very thoughtful not to invade, have(mostly) understood our attachment rituals and their need, and have been SOOOO excited, prayed for us tons and celebrated greatly with us.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Kate(Katie) Joy is HERE!!!!




There are no words...

Monday morning we got the call, Monday by 3:30 we were traveling to Calgary to get a flight in the early morning to fly to South Carolina. Wednesday at noon SC time we were holding Katie Joy!!!!!

What an adventure...we JUST made 2 of the 3 connecting flights... our luggage got lost, but did end up in our hotel when we got in with Katie, thank the Lord! Cara has been amazing with dealing with stuff as I have been almost out of commission as I have been nonstop coughing the last week, I have aches in places I didn't know had muscle. Most of the muscles between my ribs have been inflamed by the coughing, so it is hard to have strength or much depth of breath. So I am not much help, but I have never been happier. I just had my daughter fall asleep in my arms, I had enough strength in my arms for that!!!! :)

WE are just waiting for the official paperwork to get done in the next couple days then we fly home. Enjoy the 2 pics we already have like 200 and have only had her 4 hours LOL!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Interesting solutions to lifes issues

Got this in an email, some interesting options here :)


A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a
Knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.
(hmmmmmm...)
============================================
Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them
Neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.
============================================
For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put
Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't
Refreeze. (wish I had known this for the
last 40 years!)
============================================
To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for
a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The
Wax will fall out.
=================================================
Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped
In baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).
============================================
Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt
BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
=============================================
Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of
Scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw
Away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would
Be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely!
In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get 'sharpened'' this way!
=============================================
Blood stains on Clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen
peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works
every time!
=============================================
Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal
For inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.
Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows
On a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
============================================
Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely
light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
============================================
Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks

to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.
=============================================
Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
=============================================
To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the

salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!
=============================================
To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough

water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.
==============================================
Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring In tomato based sauces and

there won't be any stains.
=============================================
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

=============================================
When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's' natural sweetness.
=============================================
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

=============================================
Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces

......... left over wine? What's that?
=============================================
To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
=============================================
Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk

out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
============================================
Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
============================================
When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle.

Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most

splinters painlessly and easily.
=====================================
Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer........ Clean a toilet.
Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes,! Brush and flush.
The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.
============================================
Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water
and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.
============================================
Polish Jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the
jewelry for two minutes.
=============================================
Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak
for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
=============================================
Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the
drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.
=============================================
Do your friends a favor. Pass this timely (and some not-so-timely) information on to a friend! I just did.
Makes you wonder about ingesting Alka Seltzer, doesn't it

Thursday, December 18, 2008

LID month 31



In a couple days it will be 31 months logged into China....thirty....one....with all likelihood add another 12 and we might be getting close....forty three...gee and I wonder why I hate math! Enough of that, onto more festive thoughts...

Although we will miss not being with family this Xmas, we are looking forward to being home, not having to worry about travel...Cara has already stacked the time with tons of visits.

On Xmas eve the drama group I help direct is doing the evening service. Should be an adventure, it is full of talented youth ,but still youth have their moments, heh, but they always seem to pull it off in the end, and are remarkable.

Had a fun time doing a gospel Xmas magic show for a church in town, that was fun, broke out 2 new tricks I have never done before, and they were hits, so now I can work on refining them even more, plus I treated myself to a dvd with tons of tricks to learn from it, from my favorite magician Jeff McBride, so I hope to work some practice time in over the break.

I am also determined to finish Brisingr before the year is up. It has been a slow pace, which if it picks up I would certainly be more involved in finishing it.

Couple months left, likely, before we have to consider what to do, US adoption wise, as well as with updating passports...

Looking forward to the Xmas break, Celebrate JESUS!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

kick in the pants-General edition



A blogging friend I follow (Hi Janet- thanks for always posting on my blog :)http://tuiningatreasures.blogspot.com/ ) came upon a fun idea which she has been posting about occasionally, so I decided to steal the idea and do my own version. It is deciding who needs a kick in the pants and why, and in virtual reality giving them one. So here is a general kickin, Kung fu style...

One crescent kick to the chin to the folks who speed thru mushy intersections spraying pedestrians with snow, water or muck. Show some courtesy!!

One sharp front kick to the face for those nitwits who can't count and go to the self serve grocery store checkout with more items than allowed. sure a bit of grace in counting but not 10-12 items more, give me a break!

One quick shin kick, to the shin(obviously) for those irresponsible pet owners that let their animals run free, leaving little gifts in everyone else's yard and running the risk of getting killed on the street. These folks also get a kick from my mom, and she will aim a BIT higher and centralized, if you catch my drift!

One heart kick to the morons who make processes for adopting families harder,rather than supporting them. Now they might have a sliver of knowing what it feels like.

One back kick to those ignorant folks who think we shouldn't help those in the third world with relief and support efforts.

My favorite kick, one roundhouse kick to the head of people who spam emails with all their immoral crap, keep it under the rock where you live already, we don't need anyone seeing that nonsense!

Finally,One quick side kick to the kidneys to those drivers who don't know the rules of a 4 way stop. Grab a manual folks and learn before you kill someone or back traffic up because you wave everyone and their dog thru even though you don't have the right away to begin with!!! Okay, seriously, this one deserves 2 kicks!

Gee that was fun! must find more folks to kick in the pants...

Monday, November 24, 2008

My full but boring life

I want to blog, I want to have something to say, but really, there isn't much to say...

I certainly keep busy enough with work, meetings, kung fu, household stuff,so life is full, and things are in a good cycle now. I have a job review coming up, and although that can bring stress(and due to some whacked out processes I have experienced should make me more gun shy this time around, but I am not...so that is good, but not too captivating, no drama to blog about :) )

Snow is on the ground, not a lot, but winter is here...oh same for you...so nothing new or exciting there...

I still can't book magic shows, event hough I am getting calls. I will be doing a small show for a neighbor church on December 9, that will be fun.

I have developed the annoying typing habit of spacing things wonky with my "th" combos(see the paragraph above "event hough= even though"). This has been happening for months, "int his=in this" etc. etc. Sadly spell check isn't picking it up, and I do it so much, just don't know what is up with that. I would say, aside from adoption wait annoyance, this is the next most annoying thing in my life...captivating ain't it ;)

My big thought process conflict at this point is trying to discern if this wait has made me disengage the whole process and just stuff my overall annoyance and even anger at the fact this is taking so bleedin' long, or if I am just resigned that it iwll happen when it happens and living on edge isn't doing anyone any good.

(I have also developed an annoying habit of reversing the "i" and "w" with the word "will" almost every time i type it- spell check picks that one up :))

Is it trust or giving up hope? I certainly hope we get little bean in the next couple months, or we will be back to plan "a" of China being our first stop for a child, I honestly don't know if (US Adoption) will happen, when things are totally out of your hands, how can you know? Will we adopt from the US, for sure, who knows when it will actually work out, but I believe we will have a child from there and China by the time this ends. As I read over that, that sees to say hope. Okay, so thinking on screen seems to have resolved that...what other mysteries of the universe shall I ponder...

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Milk



Okay, file this one under "another dynamic of the long wait we didn't expect" file.

We made the decision to breast feed our babies, and by Cara taking certain herbs etc. she can generate milk. It takes a couple months for things to start flowing, so we began this process months ago, shortly after we decided to also pursue the US side of adoption.

There are lots of benefits to breastfeeding, attachment, health benefits for the little bean etc... so Cara has been faithfully taking the herbs and producing the milk, which we have been storing, as it is good for a year once frozen. Well, she has been at it now for months and the problem is, we have milk coming in, but no baby to use up the milk, so our deep freeze now has nearly half of it full of milk, so the other half is grown up food, if we don't get a baby soon...we are gonna starve ! LOL

So seriously, let's get the kid already, the room is ready, we are ready, the food is ready...only one piece missing.... :)

Monday, October 27, 2008

Random musings



The picture is a pic of the matching room at the CCAA. Our dossier is in there somewhere!

Been silent as there hasn't been anything to report on either adoption front.

Winter is a couple days away from the feels of it outside.

Cara and I have decided to stay home this Christmas, rather than travel. Take some time to slow things down and get refreshed. We had an awesome late thanksgiving with the inlaws and outlaws last week.

I am STILL not done Brisingr, nor had time to play further on Batman Lego.

I have cooked up some cool magic routines to work on, and once we get baby, then I can start booking shows. It is frustrating turning down shows because I can't promise I will be here. :(

Buckwheat , my goldfish, is growing bigger.

I am prepared to be stiff tomorrow as I have been away from Kungfu club for nearly 2 weeks, and will enter into that again tonite!

And that is some random ramblings!